Book Excerpt: Babulal Pakhi and The Tales of Our Times by Swati Guha (Translated by Pritha Banerjee from Bengali)

An exclusive excerpt from Babulal Pakhi and The Tales of Our Times by Swati Guha (Translated by Pritha Banerjee from Bengali), published by Antonym Collections, 2026

Was it very painful? Do you know what pain is? I do, but I also don’t. It would be nice if life was only a riddle. What else is it? Did you have any doubt about that? I didn’t know! Speed up the fan first. Then, say what you have to. If you turn on the fan right away in this chilly weather . . . If you say one more word, I’ll be on my way back to the station. You won’t be able to bear the suffering again! What do you mean? I mean, Babulal has already returned with his rickshaw. So, going to the station now means walking at least two kilometers. Will those two pink feet of yours be able to handle that? Don’t you tease me. I’m already sour, and your nonsense is making me angrier! But you have braved the tides to come this far, only to hear my nonsense, right?! I won’t come again. You’ll see, I will never . . . Alright, don’t! But for now, you have to adjust to the arrangement in place. You’ll see how your worries vanish into thin air . . . far away, beyond the horizon, before you even realize it. … This Babulal is your accomplice, I see. Do something. Take him with you to Kolkata on your way back. Then, he’ll be your accomplice too. Again with the jokes! I am telling you, I don’t like this at all. Pray, tell me—what would you like? First, I want a shower.

Why not rest for an hour and acclimatize to the cold here? Then, go for a bath. The water is being heated up. It’s been a bad winter this time. This weather has nothing in common with Kolkata’s. Your condition may get worse. You know, I’m very worried. Well, then, you should have stopped me from coming. You wouldn’t have understood. You would’ve thought I was forbidding you because of some deep, mysterious reason! Surely, I was born to misunderstand the majority of the people in the world. My world is this small—I don’t know much more than that. How philosophical! I just want to witness what is around me. All these amazing, simple people who survive on stale junk food. And, seven days a year, a goddess like you!

Well, Babulal and his young wife both have successfully been able to keep your addiction alive . . . to struggle and survive the entire year. First of all, I am not exiled here to survive while struggling. This exile represents how I deal with my own self. Secondly, I feel absolutely great considering the fact that you are jealous of Babulal’s wife out of all people! I am not jealous of anyone at all. You shouldn’t be. I know very well what I should and shouldn’t do. You are Aditi, after all. How’s it even possible that you won’t know! I’m going to take a bath. You stay with your nonsense! My poems keep searching for the right words all year long, just for these seven days. And what about Babulal? Babulal is on a seven-day leave for now.

Excerpted with permissions from the author, translator and publishers of Babulal Pakhi and The Tales of Our Times by Swati Guha (Translated by Pritha Banerjee from Bengali), published by Antonym Collections, 2026

About the Book

What language does love speak when it speaks of dreams, heartache, and revolution–all in one breath? To find out, listen to the pages of this deeply evocative novella where the story courses through an endless chain of conversation between Aditi and her lover. Swati Guha masterfully weaves inner worlds of tenderness, love, and affection, along with moving commentaries on social injustice, dreams, and the struggles of reform, into one lucid narrative that flows right into the heart of the reader and stays.

Author’s Bio

Swati Guha is currently the Director at the Institute for Language Studies and Research (ILSR), Kolkata, under the Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal. Dr. Guha has a vast range of academic and administrative expertise. She has previously been the Director for the Nazrul Centre for Social and Cultural Studies, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal and the Development Officer for the Sidho Kanho Birsha University, West Bengal. She has also served at the Roopkala Kendro, an institute of social communication, under the Department of Information & Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal. In addition to her administrative roles, Dr. Guha is well known as a prolific writer of prose with numerous fiction and non-fictional books to her name. Her literary prowess has been recognized through various literary and cultural awards.

Translator’s Bio

Pritha Banerjee has completed her Masters in English Language & Literature from University of Delhi. She was the recipient of the National Essay-writing Award from SREI Foundation in 2014. She has been a writer and translator for the Sankrityayan-Kosambi Study Circle. Her latest publications include articles in ‘South Asian Women’s Narratives: Literatures of Their Own’ by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, FIPRESCI India, Muse India, Pashyantee: A Bilingual Journal, and Anustup Prakashani.